Houston Sweeps SMU in Conference Opener

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Volleyball team opened American Athletic Conference Action in sweeping fashion, taking down SMU (25-19, 25-16, 25-22) on Thursday night.

With the win, the Cougars (4-1, 1-0 AAC) extend their winning streak to four, while the Mustangs (4-1, 0-1 AAC) drop their first contest of the season. This is the second time in as many years, Houston has opened conference play with a win over SMU.

Houston 3, SMU 0
Set 1

After tailing, 2-1, Houston quickly reclaimed the lead and never trailed again in the set.
Freshman defensive specialist Sarah Martinez gave Houston a two-point advantage with her service ace.
A thundering kill from junior outside hitter Kortlyn Henderson gave the Cougars a 20-17 lead.
Houston finished the set on an 8-3 run to win, 25-19.

Set 2

Redshirt senior Bridget Wallenberger recorded her first block of the season to put the Cougars out in front by two.
A sneaky dump-off from freshman setter Annie Cooke forced a timeout from SMU, which trailed, 11-7.
Another monstrous kill from Henderson gave her six at the 12-9 point in the set.
Houston put together a 6-2 run, which resulted in the second timeout of set from the Mustangs.
Back-to-back points from junior middle blocker Isabel Theut put Houston in front, 19-10, where the Cougars never looked back in route to the 25-16 set win.

Set 3

An ace from Cooke gave Houston the quick, 4-0, advantage in the set.
A seam in the SMU block left an opening for sophomore transfer Celeste Darling to record a kill and allow Houston to go up, 8-5.
Sophomore outside hitter Abbie Jackson continued to pace the offense with one of her six kills in the set to put the Cougars in front by four, midway through the frame.
After SMU brought the score to within a point, Jackson ended the threat and put down back-to-back kills to give Houston the 25-22 set win and 3-0 match victory.

INSIDE THE BOX

Houston trailed for a total of two points throughout the entire match.
Houston has now defeated SMU in each of its past two conference openers.
Houston has now won three of its past four matches against SMU.
Houston is the first team to sweep SMU inside Moody Coliseum since Nov. 16, 2018.
Houston has lost just one set in its last four matches, winning 12 out of 13 sets during that stretch.
Houston finished the night with a .349 hitting percentage, the third contest in a row the Cougars have reached that mark. Houston is now 4-0 in the David Rehr era when surpassing the .300 plateau.
Houston posted a season-high nine blocks.
10 different Cougars recorded a kill for Houston.
Junior libero Torie Frederick posted a match-high 20 digs, the second time in as many appearances she has accomplished the task.
Sophomore middle blocker Rachel Tullos recorded a season-high seven blocks, the most by a Cougar this year.
Sophomore outside hitter Abbie Jackson led the team in kills for the fourth time this season. She finished the night with 14 kills.

UP NEXT
Houston concludes its time in Dallas on Friday when the Cougars look to sweep the season series against SMU. First serve for that contest in slated for 5 p.m. and can be viewed on ESPN+.

STAY CONNECTED
Follow Houston Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram at @UHCougarVB, and "Like" UHCougarVB on Facebook.

JOIN POINT HOUSTON CLUB
Fans can help support the Houston Volleyball program by joining the Point HOUSTON Club. To find out more information about the Point HOUSTON Club, visit UHCougars.com or call Cougar Pride at (713) 743-GoUH.

– UHCougars.com –

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Team Stats

Abbie Jackson

Kortlyn Henderson

Celeste Darling

Isabel Theut

Players Mentioned

Annie Cooke

Celeste Darling

Torie Frederick

Kortlyn Henderson

Abbie Jackson

Sarah Martinez

Isabel Theut

Rachel Tullos

Bridget Wallenberger

Players Mentioned

Annie Cooke

Celeste Darling

Torie Frederick

Kortlyn Henderson

Abbie Jackson

Sarah Martinez

Isabel Theut

Rachel Tullos

Bridget Wallenberger

Upcoming Events

Recent Results